Meet Phil Herbert | Photographer and Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Phil Herbert and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Phil, what role has risk played in your life or career?
My first love is skiing, and when you spend a lot of time in the mountains, in the winter, you are constantly exposed to some level of risk. From injuries, or avalanches, or the cold. You’re constantly evaluating risks, and adjusting to them. Over the years in in these situations, though, you realize that the biggest risks in the mountains are you and your team. In many ways having a better understanding about how you make decisions around goals and objectives is more important to success than any external factors. The more people that are on the team, the more complex all of the decision-making gets, and the more traps you can fall into.

I take a similar approach to my career and business, in that I am more successful when I focus on the human element more. How am I communicating to teammates and clients in stressful or risky situations. It’s amazing to see how many business or creative problems seemingly solve themselves when the communication between the parties improves. I always say that solutions to complex problems can almost feel obvious after the fact if you’ve done the up front process correct.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve always tried to take inspiration from the surf and skate photographers from the 70’s and 80’s. They have this really straightforward approach, that’s so… unfussy. Is that a word? They are just really talented people doing what they do in their own environment. I try to keep that idea of unfussiness in mind whenever I’m creating something. I don’t want to do things just to do them, there should be a reason for it. Even if I’m taking a landscape image of a world-class view in Yosemite I am thinking about how to make it feel real for people. I want everything I do to speak for itself.

Part of that stems from the fact that anyone with a smartphone can pull up places and take a picture that is technically correct with beautiful colors, then take it home and use free or cheap software to process them in ways that even the biggest professionals couldn’t just a decade ago. I get texts from friends and families with images that I’m blown away by.

To stand out from all of that you need more than just great technical skills. You have to be able to create emotions and connections in people.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
For me, I’d want to be in the desert as much as possible. So after a day going to the botanical gardens, maybe a hike around Lost Dog, and a quick trip to Hopdoddy’s for burgers and margs, I’d take the crew north for a few days to the Page/Lake Powell area if they have never been there, or out to the Superstitions for some camping/backpacking.

Depending on the season, you can never go wrong with a spring training ballgame or some college football, too.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Has to be my wife. She’s believed in me from day one, and always been there to be a helping hand or a kick in the butt when I need it the most. I also talked her into getting in front of the camera a few years ago and she’s such a powerhouse she’s become one of the biggest YouTube stars in her industry. I wish I had her talent and drive.

Website: phil-herbert.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phil_herbert/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF6lf3lcNuLQgruhQL5fziQ

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@phil_herbert

Image Credits
All images are mine. In the photos: Cody Barnhill (man on workbench with skis) Chantel Herbert (waterskier in the water, waterskier at Lake Powell)